


...And Drink to Forget

by orphan_account



Series: The Adventures of Living Together [3]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Drink to Forget, Hedgehogs, M/M, bad language, stephen king references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 19:04:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2161713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos has an especially troubling day at work so Cecil gives him a Night Vale remedy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	...And Drink to Forget

**Author's Note:**

> Rated for language

Cecil had just finished recording the pre-recorded sponsor message for his show the next day. As he walked to his car his phone vibrated, alerting him of a voice mail. He clicked the notification, and saw the call that he unfortunately missed was from his sweet Carlos. His heart leapt with joy at the thought of Carlos maybe, just maybe, wanting to go out for dinner that night - hopefully, seeing as they had very little food left in the apartment they moved into together less than three months ago - or maybe he needed Cecil's help with science!

 

_Ooh how exciting!_ Cecil thought, anxiously waiting for the message to play.

 

**_Hi, you’ve reached the voicemail of Cecil Palmer. I’m off doing some important journalistic work. Or maybe just petting Khoshekh. But either way, leave me a message._ **

"Hey Cecil, it's Carlos, you could probably tell from my voice. At least I hope you would be able to. Why wouldn't you be able to? Well I mean- no that's not important. Anyway, I was just calling to tell you that something came up at the lab and well," Carlos sighed, "I know I've said many, many times in the past that 'a scientist is self-reliant but I need your help Cecil. If you’re not busy, could you meet me at my lab as soon as you get this? Thanks, I - no, wait get away from the - seriously back away - ROCHELLE GET AWAY FROM THE-"

 

'End of message' the robotic lady's voice informed him.

 

Cecil's previously leaping heart dropped at the thought of Carlos being in danger. Again.

 

He leapt into his car slamming the door shut. When he turned the key in the ignition, there was the dreaded sound of the engine failing to work.

 

"No no no no no!" Cecil cursed smacking the steering wheel with his palms. "Not today, not now! Not when Carlos needs me!"

 

Emerging from the car Cecil realized the lab was only two blocks away so if he ran he'd make it in about five minutes.

 

Cecil was about half way to the lab when Old Woman Josie and some of her angels - nope, still not a thing - _friends_ called 'Erika' - called to him from the sidewalk.

 

"Oh Cecil, dear," Josie said, "Can you spare a moment, I really need to talk with you!"

 

"Not now Josie! My boyfriend needs me!" Cecil called to her as he dashed past her.

 

"Look him, running about making a fuss," Josie muttered to Erika. "I just hope that scientist ends up being worth his trouble."

 

As Cecil continued to sprint down the sidewalk quick as he could, Steve Carlsberg walked through the door of the Ralph's and on to the sidewalk in front of Cecil, who promptly crashed into him, knocking them both to the ground.

 

"Oh, Cecil," Steve said, "while I've got you here I have this theory-"

 

"NOT NOW STEVE CARLSBERG I'M BUSY!" Cecil bellowed, picking himself up off the ground and continuing to run along the sidewalk.

 

"YOU ALL BURN QUICKLY! YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN SOFT FLESH!" A voice roared. As Cecil rounded the corner, he could see Hiram McDaniels standing in front of a crowd "campaigning"

 

"Oh hey Cecil!" The green head called, "could I possibly come on your show tomorrow? I have this new slogan-"

 

"We'll talk about it later!" Cecil hollered. He rounded yet another corner and the lab slowly came into view.

 

Cecil burst through the door and bent over, placing his hands on his knees, panting.

 

"Carlos?" he panted, "I'm here! Sorry it took so long, Josie needed to chat, then I ran into Steve Carlsberg - literally - then Hiram was campaigning but I came!"

 

Realizing no one was there and feeling like a fool, he walked further back into the lab and wished he hadn't. Bodies of unconscious scientists were everywhere, some tables were on fire, and some WERE turned over. The windows were smashed as well as a decent amount if all the equipment Carlos used for science-y stuff. Underneath one table was a still conscious figure with a torn and burned lab coat, hugging their knees to their chest and rocking back and forth.

 

"Hello?" Cecil called to the figure.

 

The figure's head snapped up to reveal two large brown eyes; the same eyes Cecil woke up to see every day. Except unlike in the quiet mornings when the eyes were so full of happiness and love, they were wide with fright. Tears lined the edges, threatening to spill over at any moment.

 

"C-Cecil?" Carlos said voice wavering with a small ounce of hope.

 

"I'm here Carlos," Cecil said bending down to sit next to Carlos under the wrecked table.

 

Carlos smiled, if one could even call the slightest upturn of his lips a smile, and leapt at Cecil, wrapping his arms around him and burying his soot-stained face into his boyfriends soft, warm sweater vest, inhaling the comforting scent of vanilla and cinnamon and a little dash of something else, that when combined, could only be classified as 'Cecil'.

 

"Carlos," Cecil whispered gently trying to pull the man's face out of his clothing. Carlos resisted only burying himself deeper into the warm comfort his boyfriend gave him. Cecil tried speaking again, to see if maybe - just maybe - Carlos would lift his perfect head. "What happened? Please just tell me. I was so worried when I heard your voicemail that I rushed over here and I'm glad I did. What on earth happened here?"

 

Carlos started shaking. At first, Cecil feared the dam had broken and the river was seeping through before he realized that Carlos was...laughing. Not the usual joy filled sound Cecil had come to love, but the hysterical chuckle of man driven to the brink of insanity.

 

"Carlos, are you okay?" Cecil asked, fearing the answer.

 

"Just dandy!" Carlos replied with more sarcasm than Cecil had ever heard a person use.

 

"What happened? Please tell me, I can help you, I want to help you," Cecil whispered to him.

 

"Well, the team and I were in the sand wastes doing you know, experiments and these adorable baby hedgehogs walked out of the brush," Carlos had a hysterical smile and was shaking like mad. He removed his hands from around Cecil and curled back into a ball.

 

Carlos continued to chuckle, "So I thought we'd test them and well, your birthday is coming up and I know how much you love cute things so I was going to give you one on your birthday. All the tests showed them as normal so I figured it was great!

 

"Then Rachelle, my lab assistant, wanted to see how they reacted to water," he laughed harder, "then it grew, like grew, and it was five feet tall. And had these little devil horns. As if that wasn't enough it started breathing fire! Fire! Then as if that one was like a leader or something the same thing happened to the rest of them! I don't - I can't - Cecil I'm scared." He whispered the end, no longer smiling or laughing.

 

Cecil wrapped his arms around Carlos who then buried his head into Cecil's vest again, this time allowing the bottled up tears to finally flow free.

 

"You know what you need, Carlos?" Cecil asked. Carlos just shook his head. Cecil laced their fingers together. "You need a good old Night Vale tradition, the art of drinking to forget."

 

Cecil crawled out from under the table and pulled Carlos out after him.

 

They took Carlos’s car home, seeing as Cecil's was in the Night Vale Community Radio parking lot.

 

When they arrived back at their shared apartment, Carlos saw that it was 8:03 at night. Since time was weird in Night Vale, the sun had set at about four o'clock that afternoon. Cecil led him into the living room where he sat on the purple couch and pulled the blanket that was hanging on the back of the couch around his shoulders and sat on the purple shag carpet that covered the living rooms floor. It was his favorite blanket, blue with the periodic table of elements on it.

 

Cecil returned with a bottle of some strange greenish liquid substance and two shot glasses. There was a label on it that said 'Drink to Forget'. The bottle was half empty.

 

"The thing about this stuff," Cecil said, "is it's really strong. You should only need about three or four shots of it. I'm also going to be taking some because I figure you're going to want me to forget your little break down." Carlos nodded. "And the best part! The brand I buy is special because it's impossible to get hung over the next day. Probably just some Night Vale thing."

 

He filled each of the glasses about three quarters of the way and handed one to Carlos who drank it right away. As soon as he swallowed, he started coughing and gagging, "What is that?!? It tastes so...weird!" He said looking at Cecil, who had just sat down next to him, with an expression that was a mix of disgust and curiosity.

 

Cecil shrugged, "Not sure, but you get used to it." He drank his glass and poured them each another. Those were gone just as quickly and Carlos coughed less this time.

 

"I've had two shots," Carlos said, "Why do I feel so drunk already?"

 

"The magic of the shit," Cecil said equally as tipsy. "Oh yeah, I get inappropriate when I'm drunk. Like, a lot. But anyway, this stuff is made especially for this purpose and if it wasn't this strong you probably wouldn't forget." Another shot was poured and downed by both of them. They were definitely drunk now.

 

"Carlooooooos," Cecil slurred.

 

"Yeah?" Carlos giggled lying on the floor staring at the ceiling.

 

"You're really pretty. I mean like soooo fucking pretty. Like make-all-the-girls-jealous pretty," Cecil told him matter-of-factly.

 

Carlos laughed, “Thanks and there’s another reason people are jealous of me.”

 

Cecil tilted his head and looked like a confused puppy, “Why’s that?” he asked.

 

“Because I have you.”

 

“Awwwww Carlos,” Cecil slurred.

_What if he’s just saying that because he’s drunk?_ Cecil thought. _He probably doesn’t mean it._

_But_ , a small part of him that wasn’t completely hammered thought, _drunken words are sober thoughts_.

 

They both giggled. “We are so booze-fucked right now,” Carlos said.

 

“Was that a reference to Stephen King’s _11/22/63_?” Cecil asked.

 

“Of course it was.”

 

“Do you have a yellow card in your hat mister?” Cecil slurred.

 

“I don’t have a hat but I’m pretty sure the card would be orange. Or maybe black.” Carlos smirked and Cecil looked horrified. “I’m kidding,” Carlos assured him.

 

“Good cuz that can’t happen –” Cecil cut himself off with a yawn.

 

“Do you want to go to bed –” Carlos started. Cecil waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Carlos cut himself off, “not in that way you little pervert.” Carlos kissed Cecil’s cheek.

 

“I’m not a pervert!” Cecil said mock putting and wrinkling his nose. Except he was half drunk and the sight made Carlos burst out laughing before he took a swig from the bottle. Cecil made a disgusted face at him. “God Carlos, you don’t just drink straight out of the bottle.”

 

“Maybe you don’t but I do,” he downed more of the liquid straight from the bottle. “Hey Cecil?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Is the room spinning?” Carlos fell on his back and giggled.

 

Cecil took the bottle out of his hand. “I think you’ve had enough.” Cecil took two swigs out of the bottle like Carlos had then lay back next to him.

 

Carlos started humming. “What are you humming?” Cecil asked.

 

Carlos chuckled, “Some song I heard earlier.”

 

“Siiiiiiiing,” Cecil slurred pulling a puppy dog expression, “Pleeeeeeeease?”

 

“I had a dream so big and loud, I jumped so high I touched the clouds…” Carlos sang and since he was completely hammered it was slurred.

 

“Best Day of My Life by American Authors?” Cecil asked.

 

“Yeah,” Carlos yawned. “So…tired.”

 

“This stuff will do that to you,” Cecil gestured to the bottle and stood up. “Come on, up you come,” he told Carlos. Carlos raised his arms towards Cecil, who helped him up.

 

They changed into their pajamas and as soon their heads touched the pillow they both fell asleep.

 

῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁῁

 

The next morning when Carlos woke up, he saw Cecil awake next to him reading Stephen King’s _11/22/63._ “Sleep well?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” Carlos yawned, “but I had a weird dream.”

 

“What was it about?”

 

“Demonic…hedgehogs,” Carlos said with a confused look on his face. They both just laughed and got ready for their day.

 

**Author's Note:**

> My writing blog on tumblr is: floatingfelines-writes
> 
> Comments greatly appreciated!


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